The electrically amplified guitar is a string musical instrument which is particularly used by rock and roll musicians. Such musicians play the instrument accompanied by wild gyrations, both of the performer and the instrument. Typically, the guitar is supported by a strap which attaches at opposite ends to the guitar at longitudinally spaced position with the strap extending over a shoulder of the performer. Adaptations have been made to pivotally couple the ends of the strap to the guitar so that the guitar may be rotated normally about a longitudinally axis over a relatively large number of rotations during the performance. At may be appreciated since the electronically amplified guitar has a sound pickup built into the guitar internally, electrical signals must be transmitted from the guitar to the amplifier, and then to the speakers.
No satisfactory light-weight harness or strap system has been devised which facilitates rotation of the guitar or like instrument about a given axis particularly where the string musical instrument is of the electrically amplified variety.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,794 is directed to a device for securing a harness or strap to a musical instrument such as a guitar, and which uses a pair of quick-release, spring loaded detachable connectors at opposite ends of the strap in the form of a male plug and a female receptacle. Receptacles are screwed onto opposite ends of the body of the instrument, and the male plugs fixed to the opposite ends of the straps. The male plug has a pin which carries spring biased ball detents for locking into an inner peripheral groove within the female receptacle axial bore which receives the pin of the male plug.
The problem is further complicated by the fact that the strap support system must be comfortable to the performer and must support the string musical instrument under conditions in which the instrument is balanced with the guitar maintaining a position permitting its play in front of the performer's body, supported by the strap system.
U.S. Pat. Re. No. 31,722 issued Nov. 6, 1984, and entitled "String Musical Instrument" stresses the need for a compact electric guitar or like instrument, the further necessity to provide a balanced musical instrument, and the need of providing boomerang support means located at the center of gravity of the instrument, and thereby achieve an instrument which is comfortable to play.
Where it is desired, as in the case of the present invention, that the electrical musical instrument, particularly an electrical amplified guitar, but not limited to, be rotated about a horizontal axis through the center of gravity of the instrument body, at the level of the waist of the performer, while strap supported, such arrangements in the past are excessively complicated and do not provide for the freedom of movement desired by the performer when enhancing the musical performance by periodic spinning of the electrically amplified instrument about that center of gravity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,217 issued Aug. 10, 1982 and entitled "Dual Mode Guitar" is exemplary of a harness which consist of a pair of shoulder straps integrated to a waist strap or belt. The electrical guitar is characterized by two separate necks, two separate sets of strings, two separate electrical pick-ups and two separate sets of amplification controls. A rectangular plate like bearing assembly mounts to a socket within the belt, which socket is screwed onto the rear face of the guitar body. Electrical connections are formed by a male plug inserted into a female jack carried by the guitar body.
While the socket mounted bearing assembly approach of U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,217 is adequate where the guitar rotation is limited to 180.degree. to change the mode of performance by shifting between two separate sets of strings, the system requires a special harness including two shoulder straps and a belt, is not seen as applicable to conventional strap systems, and maintenance of the electrical connection over multiple rotation of a guitar using such system appears unlikely.
It is therefor an object of the present invention to provide an improved, strap mounting assembly for a conventional strap applicable to the conventional electric guitars, and permitting multiple instrument rotation while electrical connection is ensured between the output jack within the instrument and the amplifier and other components of the sound system remote from the performer.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such strap mounting assembly for electric guitars and other instrument which permits multiple rotations, which is relatively simple, in which the strap attachments are made commonly to a single element of the mounting assembly, at opposite ends thereof, which permits unlimited rotation of the instrument body about a horizontal axis through the center of gravity of the instrument body, and wherein, an electrical lead emanating from that body may be readily attached to the single strap worn by the performer.